System and Method of Reducing Emissions And Increasing Swell In An Oil Conditioning Process

Abstract

A system for conditioning live crude oil to produce stabilized oil that can be stored in a conventional oil storage tank and hydrocarbon gas includes a stabilizer tower and a heater treater. The stabilizer tower receives oil from separators at the wellhead production facility and outputs oil to the heater treater. The heater treater outputs gas back into the stabilizer tower and, optionally, recycles a portion of oil output back into the heater treater, which enhances oil output.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A system for conditioning live crude oil, the system comprising:
 a separator operable to produce a separator oil output and a separator gas output from the live crude oil;   a stabilizer tower operable to: (i) receive the separator oil output; (ii) receive a heater treater gas output; (iii) produce a stabilizer tower oil output; and (iv) produce a stabilizer tower gas output; and   a heater treater operable to: (i) receive the stabilizer tower oil output; (ii) produce a heater treater oil output; and (iii) produce the heater treater gas output;   wherein the heater treater oil output is a stabilized oil stream.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a vapor recovery unit (VRU) operable to: (i) receive the stabilizer tower gas output; (ii) produce a VRU gas output; and (iii) produce a VRU oil output. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the heater treater is further operable to: (i) receive the VRU oil output; and (ii) receive an oil recirculation stream comprising a recirculated portion of the heater treater oil output. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the oil recirculation stream is combined with the VRU oil output upon or before entering the heater treater. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the live crude oil includes an oil component, and wherein the system yields an oil volumetric production rate output, measured in barrels per day (BPD), that is greater than a volumetric production rate, measured in BPD, of the oil component of the live crude oil. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the oil volumetric production rate output yielded by the system is measured at a stabilized oil storage tank. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising a stabilized oil storage tank operable to receive the stabilized oil stream. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , further comprising a recirculation system operable to circulate stabilized oil from the stabilized oil storage tank to the stabilizer tower. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer tower is further operable to produce a stabilizer water output. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the heater treater is further operable to produce a heater treater water output. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is operable to provide the separator gas output to one of a user, the stabilizer tower, and the heater treater. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a well head operable to feed the live crude oil stream to the separator. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the VRU is further operable to produce a conditioned gas to a user. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the VRU comprises a compressor. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the VRU comprises a scrubber. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising a recirculation system operable to circulate 
     
     
         17 . A process for conditioning live crude oil using the system of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         18 . A process for conditioning live crude oil using the system of  claim 2 . 
     
     
         19 . A process for conditioning live crude oil using the system of  claim 3 . 
     
     
         20 . A process for conditioning live crude oil using the system of  claim 4 .